Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFTortricidae Members: Corticivora Members: 2 NC Records

Corticivora chica Brown, 1984 - No Common Name

No image for this species.
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Tortricoidea		 Family:
Tortricidae		Subfamily:
Olethreutinae		Tribe:
Grapholitini		P3 Number:
51a1273.52n		 MONA Number:
3446.10
Comments: This is one of three congeneric species that are found in North America north of Mexico (Brown, 1994).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Brown (1994)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: All three of the species in this genus are very small -- Brown (1984) described them as the smallest tortricids occurring in North America. Corticivora chica and C. parva are indistinguishable based on outward appearance, and the description of C. parva by Brown (1984) applies to this species. The following description is primarily from that of Brown (1984). The head and palps are creamy white, and the scape of the antenna has elongated scales that cover the pedicel. The thorax and ground of the forewing is creamy white with intermixed amounts of light grayish brown. The forewing ground is overlain with two brown to bronzy-brown bands that extend from the inner margin to the costa. The first is at one-fourth and often fills the entire basal region to form a patch, while the second occurs just beyond the middle and terminates in the subtornal region. Both bands have an outer edge that is more-or-less straight. A subapical spot is also usually present that can range from a small spot to a larger patch. The interfascial area between the basal and median band often has a thin, dark, broken line. The outer wing margin has a line of dark spots, and the fringe is grayish brown with white tips. The hindwing is light grayish brown with a concolorous fringe.

All three species in this genus have similar wing patterns, Corticivora parva and C. chica are indistinguishable based on outward appearance and need to be dissected to confirm their identities. The latter species was only known from Florida when originally described but as of 2025 has since been found at one site along the coast of North Carolina and at one site in the Sandhills. Specimens collected from coastal savannas in North Carolina should be dissected, while those from inland sites generally can be safely assumed to be C. parva.
Forewing Length: 3.0-5.5 mm (Brown, 1982)
Adult Structural Features: Brown (1994) has illustrations and descriptions of the male and female genitalia and notes that the male of C. chica can be differentiated from both C. parva and C. clarki by the presence of large spines on the outer wall of the valva. The valva is also more arched apically in C. chica than in the other two species when viewed from the ventral side. The female of C. chica differs from C. parva and C. clarki in lacking sternal depressions, which are easily visible in intact, scaled specimens of the latter two species.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable only by close inspection of structural features or by DNA analysis.
Immatures and Development: The larval life history is undocumented.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Corticivora chica is currently known from throughout the state of Florida and from a single record from Carteret and Moore counties in North Carolina.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Corticivora chicaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Flight Comments: The adults have been observed in Florida from March through early May, and again in August. As of 2025, our two records for North Carolina are from mid-April and from late-August.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Populations are typically found in pine forests in the Coastal Plain.
Larval Host Plants: The hosts have not been documented but Brown (1994) surmised that pines are the likely host based on collection data and the fact that a congener (C. clarki) is known to feed on pine bark. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S1-S2]
State Protection:
Comments: This species appears to be rare in North Carolina, with only two known records as of 2025.